Winter is in full control as the cold air creates goosebumps along my skin. The moon is full tonight, a black circle surrounding it as it sits on its dark crown. The woman, Jane, does most of the talking. Simon interjects when needed, but seems content to let her take the lead.
"We're from the year 2030," Jane says. "We were sent to stop Skynet from advancing itself. Currently, the timeline has not only changed from the original, but Skynet has advanced its efforts to become independent."
Jane's eyes linger on Kyle when she speaks. It makes me uncomfortable, but I don't say anything. I try to stop my mind from wondering if they know each other.
"We thought we stopped it," Kyle says. If he knows her, he's not letting on. He must notice my chill because he leans against the car beside me. His arm brushes mine, and I realize he's making a strategic decision. "We wiped out most of it, but Pops says we didn't get all of it."
For the first time since their arrival, I look Pops in the eye. If he were human, I could see that he might look apologetic. Maybe I'm imagining it. I ignore whatever it is in his eyes.
"How do you know?" I ask him. "And what else are you programmed to do?"
For the first time, I feel betrayal hot on my face. I remind myself he's just a machine, but the machine is real to me. He's always been the only person I can trust. Because his sole purpose is to protect me. It's in his programming, and now that solid foundation is cracking. He knows the tone in my voice right now, so he knows there's a fight brewing even if no one else notices.
"My missing files were not missing," he says flatly. "They were locked."
My anger cannot be contained for much longer. It's boiling inside of me, ready to blow the lid off the pot.
"That's a pretty generic answer," I tell him in the same tone.
Our eyes stay connected, and I search him for some piece of hope that I can still trust him.
"Perhaps I can help," Simon says as he steps forward. My eyes dart to him, and I fire a look at him that dares him to continue. He backs down.
I can feel Kyle tensing beside me, but my eyes ignore everyone but Pops.
"What else are you hiding from me?"
My words have a small impact on him, but it's so miniscule that I'm almost positive I'm imagining it.
"My mission is and will always be to protect Sarah Connor," he says. "The second mission is to acquire Jane Washington and Simon Harper. My third mission is to assist in hindering Skynet's accelerated development."
At his last words, Kyle pushes himself off of the car to stand beside me. He has a similar reaction to mine. His face is set in disbelief.
"Hindering?" he asks Pops.
Pops straightens himself, preparing for a fight. His gaze goes from Kyle to me. I can tell from the years together that he's calculating his next move.
"Terminators can't self-destruct," Jane says. I tear my eyes away from Pops to look at her. She has a blazing look in her eyes. She looks stolid, like she's daring me to do something stupid and emotional. When I don't, she continues. "Skynet has to come online, Sarah. No matter what, that can't be changed. And it can't be changed because of him."
Now her head nods to Kyle. He takes a step toward her, but Simon is quick to pull a gun on him. I glance around, knowing we only had a handful of weapons. Pops doesn't move, even when I pull my gun on Simon.
"What do you mean that Judgment Day is my fault?" Kyle asks. "How?"
To her credit, Jane doesn't beat around the bush when she answers. She points to me without raising her voice.
"Because you always fall in love with her. Because you two always seem to be under the impression you can save the world before it needs saving. All it ever does is get you killed," she points first to Kyle and then to me when she continues, "…and you put into a mental institution. And now we have to put everything back together from your last jump forward."
"What are you talking about?" I ask. "He's alive, and I'm not crazy. We escaped without being caught. We aren't changing that."
My heart races at the mention of Kyle dying. I can't imagine it, especially now. I've only barely gotten to know him, but I want more. We both do, I think. When we slept together, it was more of a celebration that it was all over. It was a spur of the moment thing, but it didn't make our choice any less real. It doesn't make how I feel anything less than love, and I will fight to save him every time.
"Jane," Simon says her name, and he moves to her side. His gun is now at his side. "Let me try to say this in a less robotic way."
Simon seems to ignore the look she gives him. He turns away from her and approaches us.
"Several parts of the timeline were messed up when you two jumped to this year," he says. "For example, even if you were to suddenly become pregnant, John Connor's birth would take place in 2018. That's much too late. He can't have the destiny he has if he's that young. The war will be going on when he's too young. He will never save Kyle Reese. He will never get the necessary training from Sarah Connor." He stops here, but I can tell he almost says more. His eyes hesitate a moment too long on Jane, but she doesn't say anything. "But Skynet can't be killed with a terminator's help due to a self-preservation protocol put in after it captured and cloned John Connor."
This gets my and Kyle's attention. We exchange a wary glance but say nothing while we process this. John's alive. He wasn't the thing we saw earlier. He's somewhere out there.
"You that that was really him," Simon says. "It's understandable. Clones share powerful memories, so really he thought he was John Connor."
"So that's what it did when Skynet attacked him?" Kyle asks. "It didn't infect him?"
"No," Jane says. "That's why he didn't go insane like all the others. He only shared a fraction of John's memories. That made him easier to manipulate and infect."
"How do you know all of this?" I ask.
Jane and Simon exchange a glance and seem to come to an unspoken agreement.
"Because we found him in the research center," Jane says. "His identity was verified, and he is currently under a doctor's care for recovery."
It's not the detailed answer I wanted, so I raise my gun at her head.
"How do you know?" I ask again.
"Because I know the process they used," Simon says. "And it was verified by his most trusted advisor."
Again, this isn't the answer I'm looking for.
"No," I tell him. "His most trusted advisor is here." I jerk my head in Kyle's direction. "And if you two don't stop looking at each other, I will find a way to get the truth out of you. Even if it takes breaking every bone in your body."
Jane steps in front of Simon. Pops still hasn't moved, and my gun that was pointed at Simon is now pointed at her. She makes a run for it, and before I can fire off a shot Kyle pushes me out of the way. Jane tackles him to the ground, and Simon takes a few defensive steps backwards with his gun in the air. But I don't care. I hear the sounds of the fight behind me, but I grab Simon and put the gun to his head. I know Kyle can't really fight in his condition.
"Stop!" I yell. Jane sees that I have Simon. Her eyes become wide, and she drops Kyle to the ground. Pops takes Kyle by the arm when he sees Jane start walking towards me. But I grab Simon's neck and press on his jugular. He lets out a cry of pain that makes Jane stop in her tracks.
"Start talking," I command.
Simon whimpers, but I don't let up. Jane looks from him to me, and finally she raises her arms and sighs. With that heavy breath comes heavy words I don't think I'm ready for.
"In six months, Skynet will rise again."
And then she spills the rest of it.
"Instead of 3 billion people, it's more like 6 billion people will die. Skynet has sent terminators back in time to not only ensure its existence, but also to procure parts and materials that will be lost in the nuclear war. We are here to make sure those things don't happen. This is actually our last stop on our mission. Simon is an engineer. He and your Pops can build the time displacement equipment for you, Kyle and John to return to your time. You will raise him and train him together. Until we can build the device, we have several terminators running around here that need to be disposed of."
There's so much information in her speech that I don't know where to start. Kyle stands beside me, and as my eyes find his he nods his head in agreement. I feel like I'm going to be sick at the thought that I can't stop Skynet from being born. When I look at Pops, all I want to do is turn away. But I can't. Instead, I quietly nod when Jane suggests we all leave for a safe house she acquired a few years ago on a mission.
The way she talks makes my head hurt, but I follow numbly. Kyle's hand brushes against mine, and he limps on his injured leg. I wrap my arm around him and let him use me for support. Pops opens the door for me, and for a second I hesitate. Our eyes meet as first me, then Kyle get into the car. As he settles in beside me, my head leans against his shoulder. He wraps a protective arm around me, and together we curl into each other.
"Long night," he whispers.
"Eventful," I reply.
"Get some rest," he tells me. "I'll keep an eye on things."
I want to let my guard down. I want to end this night the same way it started. But that can't happen. Not until I know he will be safe. Not until I know I can trust the other people in this vehicle. I watch the pair as they talk quietly with Pops in the front seat. Simon does a diagnostic check using verbal commands. Jane gives directions on where to go.
For the first time in a long time, I don't feel like I'm in control. I hate it.
Almost as much as I hate technology.